The Childrens War

Description

In his fourth collection, C. P. Boyko turns his keen eye to the question of powerin schools and on campuses, in doctors offices and boardrooms, in triage tents and on the battle field. A high-school math teacher tries too hard to be liked; childhood friends grow up and go to war for very different reasons; for purposes not entirely medical, a dentist hypnotizes a patient; management and workers struggle for control of a faltering factory; infantries comprised exclusively of women meet in battle; and undergraduates occupy a university presidents office, rallying beneath the flag of moral outrage.Moving effortlessly through a range of styles, from contemporary realist fiction and episodic adventures to three-act plays and polyvocal narratives, Boykos chameleon talents reveal the thread that binds his disparate characters and plots: the hunger to hold power and all the ways we are consumed by it. Clear-eyed but not cynical, satirical without being sarcastic,The Childrens Waris as entertaining as it is insightful.Praise forThe Childrens WarGraphic, tragic, beautiful, surprising, nuanced . . . and unmistakably genius. KirkusFor readers who like their collections big and boldDense but readable, these stories are well developed and sufficiently tilted in content to attract a range of serious readers. Library Journal[T]he farcical, absurd, deft story The Takeover of Founders Hall . . . [is] a searing vision of folly and a picture of the Ivory Tower thats hilariously irreverent . . . Slamming together disparate genres, [Andrew and Hillary] impresses as a showcase of terrific writing and untrammelled invention.Quill & QuireNimble . . . Boyko gives new meaning to the term elastic prose . . . These stories will haunt the minds of readers long after they finish the book. Winnipeg Free PressC.P. Boyko proves the broad reach of his talents inThe Childrens War, a collection of six stories that range from novella to play to traditional short-story. His characters here are often intelligent and emotional, resulting in explosive conflicts; whether the setting be an oppressive school, an ever-busy factory, or the frontlines of a war between the armies on an unnamed island and its interfering super-power neighbor . . . Though the choices these characters make are not always effective, it is clear that Boyko understands this truth: action is always human and, even in failure, is often beautiful. Arkansas InternationalPraise for C.P. BoykoUproariousBoykos ensemble of absurd, inexhaustible narcissists comes uncomfortably near to reality. Wall Street JournalThese stories are funny and sardonic, satirical, well-written, and keen . . . [Boykos] characters are larger-than-life, very funny, but more authentic than they first seem . . . well enjoy laughing at them, and laugh at ourselves at the same time. San Francisco Book ReviewFew writers in this country have a better poker face than C.P. Boyko . . . vivid and wickedly funny. The Globe and MailLaughter is Boykos preferred method inNovelists: He examines the pomposity and naked insecurities of his titular breed through humour, much of it painfully ironic . . . a highly amusing riposte to the culture of literary awards. National Post